Method and Apparatus for Presenting Media Content

ABSTRACT

A method that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, receiving a selection from a media device corresponding to a first media content, generating a play list at a server where the play list includes second media content that is associated with the first media content by at least one of genre, artist and being published in temporal proximity, and providing play list content comprising at least a portion of the first and second media content to the media device, where at least one of the generation of the play list and the providing of the play list content is based on metadata pointers associated with the first and second media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation if U.S. application Ser. No.15/862,795, filed Jan. 5, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/144,947, filed May 3, 2016 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,875,000), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/223,879, filed Mar. 24, 2014 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,360,999), which isa continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/623,350, filed Nov. 20,2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,719,867), which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to the presentation of mediacontent and more specifically to a method and apparatus for presentingmedia content.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Users often desire to listen to, or view, a variety of media content,particularly over extended periods of time such as during traveling.Achieving a desired variety for a particular viewer is a difficult taskand can result in users switching between broadcasts, such as radio ortelevision channels. Over extended periods of time, users often attemptto personalize the media content, such as shuffling a variety of songsfrom different artists.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system thatprovides media services;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal interacting withthe communication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication deviceutilized in the communication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system for presentingmedia content based on a playlist, the system operating in portions ofthe communication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a graphical user interfacethat can be presented by the communication system of FIG. 1 and thesystem of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method operating inportions of the communication system of FIG. 1 and the system of FIG. 4;and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a media devicecomprising a controller to receive a selection of a first media content,present icons representative of one or more second media content wherethe second media content was published in temporal proximity to thefirst media content, obtain a play list based on at least a portion ofthe first and second media content, and retrieve play list contentcorresponding to the play list from a media content source, where theplay list content is located using one or more metadata pointersassociated with at least one of the first and second media content, andthe media content source is remote from the media device and incommunication with the media device over a network.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a methodincluding receiving a selection from a media device corresponding to afirst media content, generating a play list comprising second mediacontent where the second media content is associated with the firstmedia content by at least one of genre, artist and being published intemporal proximity, and providing play list content comprising at leasta portion of the first and second media content to the media device,where at least one of the generation of the play list and the providingof the play list content is based on metadata pointers associated withthe first and second media content.

Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure can entail a servercomprising a controller to receive a selection from a media devicecorresponding to a first media content, select a group of second mediacontent where the first and second media content are associated witheach other by at least one of genre, artist and being published intemporal proximity, generate a play list comprising at least a portionof the first and second media content, and provide play list contentcomprising at least a portion of the first and second media content tothe media device, where at least one of the generation of the play listand the providing of the play list content is based on metadata pointersassociated with the first and second media content.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 100 for delivering media content. The communication system 100can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) broadcast mediasystem. The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO)110 with at least one super headend office server (SHS) 111 whichreceives media content from satellite and/or terrestrial communicationsystems. In the present context, media content can represent audiocontent, moving image content such as videos, still image content, orcombinations thereof. The SHS server 111 can forward packets associatedwith the media content to video head-end servers (VHS) 114 via a networkof video head-end offices (VHO) 112 according to a common multicastcommunication protocol.

The VHS 114 can distribute multimedia broadcast programs via an accessnetwork 118 to commercial and/or residential buildings 102 housing agateway 104 (such as a common residential or commercial gateway). Theaccess network 118 can represent a group of digital subscriber lineaccess multiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a servicearea interface that provide broadband services over optical links orcopper twisted pairs 119 to buildings 102. The gateway 104 can usecommon communication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 106 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 108 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 107 (such as aninfrared or RF remote control).

The gateway 104, the media processors 106, and media devices 108 canutilize tethered interface technologies (such as coaxial or phone linewiring) or can operate over a common wireless access protocol. Withthese interfaces, unicast communications can be invoked between themedia processors 106 and subsystems of the IPTV media system forservices such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 130 a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing portal services over an Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) network 132 to wireline media devices 108 or wirelesscommunication devices 116 by way of a wireless access base station 117operating according to common wireless access protocols such as WirelessFidelity (WiFi), or cellular communication technologies (such as GSM,CDMA, UMTS, WiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, and so on).

The first communication system 100 can also include a Digital VideoRecorder (DVR) 135. The DVR 135 can be operably coupled to at least oneof the STBs 106 and can be either a standalone device or integrated aspart of a STB 106. Notably, the DVR 135 can be utilized to capture andstore various types of media content to a disk/hard drive contained inthe DVR 135. The media content can include audio content, text content,video content, still image content, and/or combinations thereof. A usercan select content listed or otherwise displayed on media device 108 fortransmission to another device of the user and/or to another deviceassociated with another user. When the content is selected by the user,the STB 106 can store the selected content into the DVR 135 inpreparation for transmission to the other device.

Another distinct portion of the computing devices 130 can function as abackend server (herein referred to as server 130). The server 130 canuse common computing and communication technology to perform thefunction of generating playlists and/or locating media and distributingmedia content and/or other content among users utilizing thecommunication system 100. The server 130 can be operably coupled tocommunication devices throughout the network, including the DVR 135 andthe STBs 106, via access network 118.

In one embodiment, the server 130 can store metadata pointers that areassociated with media content to be presented by one or morecommunication or media devices such as the STBs 106. In anotherembodiment, the server 130 can receive metadata pointers from thecommunication devices such as the STBs 106. The metadata pointers canprovide information for identifying and locating other media contentassociated with the selected media content that is presentable by thecommunication device such as STB 106. In one embodiment, the metadatapointers can point to data stored in a remote media content source, theDVR 136, and/or the STBs 106. The metadata pointers facilitateidentification and location of other media content that is associatedwith selected media content so that a customized playlist and/or playstream can be generated for the user. The relationship between the mediacontent can be of various forms, including being created around the sametime period, (such as music from the 1950's), being of the same genre(such as country music) and being of the same artist.

It will be appreciated by an artisan of ordinary skill in the art that asatellite broadcast television system can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system. In this embodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 115supplying media content can be intercepted by a common satellite dishreceiver 131 coupled to the building 102. Modulated signals interceptedby the satellite dish receiver 131 can be submitted to the mediaprocessors 106 for generating broadcast channels which can be presentedat the media devices 108. The media processors 106 can be equipped witha broadband port to the ISP network 132 to enable infrastructureservices such as VoD and EPG described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital broadcast distributionsystem such as cable TV system 133 can be used in place of the IPTVmedia system described above. In this embodiment the cable TV system 133can provide Internet, telephony, and interactive media services.

It follows from the above illustrations that the present disclosure canapply to any present or future interactive over-the-air or landlinemedia content services. In one embodiment, the communication system canemploy an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network architecture tofacilitate the combined services of circuit-switched and packet-switchedsystems.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a portal 202 which canoperate from the computing devices 130 described earlier incommunication system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. The portal 202 can beused for managing services of the communication system 100. The portal202 can be accessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with a commonInternet browser such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer™ using anInternet-capable communication device such as those described forFIG. 1. The portal 202 can be configured, for example, to access a mediaprocessor 106 and services managed thereby such as a DVR, a VoD catalog,an EPG, a personal catalog (such as personal videos, pictures, audiorecordings, etc.) stored in the media processor, provisioning IMSservices described earlier, provisioning Internet services, provisioningcellular phone services, and so on.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a communication or mediadevice 300. Communication device 300 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the communication devices of FIG. 1. Thecommunication device 300 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 302 (herein transceiver 302), a user interface (UI) 304, apower supply 314, a location receiver 316, and a controller 306 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 302 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth, WiFi,Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellularcommunication technologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologiescan include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE,EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, and next generation cellular wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 302 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCPIP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 304 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 308 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, joystick, mouse, ornavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device300. The keypad 308 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 300 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 308 canrepresent a numeric dialing keypad commonly used by phones, and/or aQWERTY keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 304 can further include adisplay 310 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 300. Inan embodiment where the display 310 is touch-sensitive, a portion or allof the keypad 308 can be presented by way of the display.

The UI 304 can also include an audio system 312 that utilizes commonaudio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heardonly in the proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system 312 can furtherinclude a microphone for receiving audible signals of an end user. Theaudio system 312 can also be used for voice recognition applications.The UI 304 can further include an image sensor 313 such as a chargedcoupled device (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 314 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 300 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. The location receiver 316 canutilize common location technology such as a global positioning system(GPS) receiver for identifying a location of the communication device300 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS satellites,thereby facilitating common location services such as navigation.

The communication device 300 can use the transceiver 302 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi or Bluetooth access point bycommon power sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA) or timeof flight (TOF). The controller 306 can utilize computing technologiessuch as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and/or avideo processor with associated storage memory such a Flash, ROM, RAM,SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

The communication device 300 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 106, the media devices 108, or the portablecommunication devices 116 of FIG. 1. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 300 can also represent other common devices thatcan operate in communication system 100 of FIG. 1 such as a gamingconsole and a media player. In one embodiment, the communication device300 can generate a playlist or play stream of media content, includingmusic, video, images and combinations thereof, which are customized forthe user. For example, the communication device 300 can present aselection of other songs from the same time period as a song selected bythe user. Other criteria can be used for presenting the selection ofsongs, including the same genre and/or artist. The communication devicecan utilize metadata pointers for identifying and/or locating the othermedia content. For instance, metadata pointers can be embedded in themedia content and read by the communication device as to identificationand location of other media content in the same time period, same artistand/or same genre.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a system 400 for generatinga playlist or play stream of media content. System 400 can be operablyconnected to or overlaid with system 100. System 400 can include an STB402, which can be operably connected to a DVR or other content storagedevice, including an integrated DVR. The STB 402 can be operably coupledto a display device 404, which can be utilized to display various typesof media content supplied to the STB 402 by a media content provider.The media content supplied by the media content provider can includeaudio content, text content, video content, video games, still imagecontent, and/or combinations thereof.

The STB 402 can be operably coupled to a network 406, which can enablethe STB 402 to access a server 408. In one embodiment, the server 408can act as an intermediary between the STB 402 and the other devices andentities in the system 400. Additionally, the system 400 can includeother communication devices such as a computing device 414 and a mobiledevice 416. In one embodiment, these additional devices can be operablycoupled to STB 402 via the network 406, although the present disclosurecontemplates one or more of these communication devices operatingindependently of and without communication with one or more othercommunication devices. The display device 404 can be monitors,televisions, and other display means. The computing device 414 can bedesktop computers, laptops, tablet computers, personal digitalassistants (PDA), or other computing devices. The mobile device 416 canbe a cellular phone, PDA, mobile computer, or other mobile device. Thedevices in the system 400 can be configured to operate in variouscommunication systems, including an interactive television (iTV)network, such as IPTV, interactive cable television, and interactivesatellite television.

One or more of the communication devices can present a graphical userinterface (GUI), such as a cursor controlled by a mouse or otheractuating device, for interacting with media content that is presentableby the STB in order to generate a playlist or play stream. A user canutilize the GUI to request or otherwise select other media contentassociated with the media content that is to be presented by thecommunication device or is already being presented. For instance, aviewer can pass the cursor over an icon representing a first song thatis being presented and a selection of other associated media content canbe presented. This can be done using a variety of techniques includingpresenting a drop down menu in response to a right click of the mouseand/or presenting options for replacement content during a passover ofthe cursor with respect to the media content icon.

The communication devices can communicate with the server 408 toretrieve the other media content. The retrieval of the other mediacontent can be based on the metadata pointers as described with respectto system 100. The metadata pointers can facilitate locating of theother media content, such as providing information as to a location ofthe content including a URL or URI. In one embodiment, the metadatapointers can be stored by the server 408. In another embodiment, theserver 408 can retrieve the metadata pointers from the media contentthat is distributed to the communication devices.

For instance, the metadata pointers can be embedded in the media contentand obtained by the server 408 during distribution. In one embodiment,the server 408 can obtain and store the media content during a firstdistribution of the media content, such as a movie, so that the servercan access the metadata pointers for subsequent play list generationrequests, such as a request being performed by a viewer who is watchingthe media content at a later time using his or her DVR. In anotherembodiment, the metadata pointers can be removed from the media contentstream prior to distribution from the server 408 to the STB 402.

Upon receipt of a request or selection for generating a playlist ofmedia content from the communication device, the server 408 can utilizethe metadata pointers to locate and retrieve the content from a remotemedia content or source server 418. In one embodiment, the server 408can send a content request to the source server 418 and receive thecontent in response to that request. The server 408 can then transmitthe content to the communication device. In another embodiment, thesource server 418 can be provided with instructions for forwarding thecontent to the communication device without having to transmit thecontent to the requesting server.

In one embodiment, a user utilizing the communication device can selecta playlist or a portion thereof to be shared with other communicationdevices associated with the user so that the playlist becomes a groupplaylist. The user can specify which recipient device or devices are toreceive the content. In one embodiment, once the user selects theplaylist, the selected content can be stored in the other communicationdevice. In another embodiment, the metadata pointer associated with themedia content can be transmitted by the communication device to theserver 408. The metadata pointer can correspond to a file nameassociated with the portion of the content, a location in the DVR, auniform resource locator (URL), a uniform resource identifier (URI),and/or another identifier utilized for locating the media content thatcorresponds to the generated playlist. The server 408 can send a requestto the specified recipient devices to accept the selected content. Ifthe recipient device accepts the request, the metadata pointer can bestored at the server 408 (if not already stored) and the server canretrieve the content from the DVR or other storage device based on themetadata pointer. Once the server has retrieved the content, the server408 can transmit the content to the recipient devices, which can thenpresent the content as part of the playlist.

System 400 describes a distributed system where a customized playlistcan be generated and the media content associated with the playlist canbe retrieved from remote sources using metadata pointers. However, thepresent disclosure contemplates one or more of these techniques beingused locally. For instance, all or a portion of the media contentassociated with the playlist can be retrieved from a memory device ofthe communication device.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a graphical user interface(GUI) 500 that can be utilized by one or more of the communicationdevices of systems 100 and 400. GUI 500 can present icons representativeof media content which are displayed in relationship to time, genreand/or artist. For example, a first time line can be presented whichshows songs by Elvis Presley which as mapped to the time frame when theywere created. A second time line can be presented which shows songs inthe same time frame and the same genre, but by different artists. Athird time line can be presented which shows songs in a different genrebut by the same artists as in the first and second time lines. In oneembodiment, the icons representative of the media content (such assongs) can graphically show the relationship between each other, such asindicating the same artist in different genres using a line or the like.By mapping the media content based on a relationship among the mediacontent, such as same genre, same time period (i.e., published intemporal proximity) and/or same artist, the user can more easily selectdesired media content for a playlist. In one embodiment, the GUI 500 cangenerate the various media content based on factors such as time periodand then allow the user to selectively remove particular media contentfrom the play stream. In this fashion, a play stream can be moreefficiently generated.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative method 600 operating in portions ofcommunication systems 100 and 500. Method 600 can begin with step 602 inwhich a media or communication device, such as a mobile phone or STB,receives a selection of media content to be included in a playlist orplay stream. In step 604, other media content that is associated withthe selected media content can be determined. For example, the othermedia content can be based on temporal proximity of creation, genre,artist and so forth. In step 606, the media device can present a GUIhaving the other media content that is associated with the selectedmedia content. The GUI can utilize icons, including images of theartist, album cover and so forth. In one embodiment, the icon cancomprise or can otherwise provide access to a sample of the mediacontent, such as allowing for presenting a portion of the song or a clipfrom a movie.

In step 608, the user can make a selection of the media content for theplay list. In one embodiment, the selection can be reviewing andapproving the media content suggestions presented in the GUI. In anotherembodiment, the GUI can provide a list of the associated media contentand the user can select various media content from the list. Othertechniques for selecting the media content are also contemplated, suchas the mapping process discussed above with respect to GUI 500.

In one embodiment in step 610, the GUI can be adjusted based on theselections of the media content being made. For example, if the userselects songs by the same artist in a single genre then the GUI canpresent icons of other artists in that same genre and time period. Instep 612, the media content from the generated playlist can be located.For example, metadata pointers can be used to ascertain a location ofthe media content, such as a remote media source server. In oneembodiment, a back-end server can utilize the metadata pointers forretrieving the media content, however, the present disclosurecontemplates other devices retrieving the media content both with andwithout the assistance of the metadata pointers, such as thecommunication device retrieving the media content.

For instance, the metadata pointers can be stored on the server 408 andcan include a URL or URI for retrieving the content from a remote mediacontent source. In one embodiment, the metadata pointers can be providedto the server 408 by the media device, such as by accessing the metadatapointers that are embedded in the media content. After receiving themedia content from the media source, including a remote media source,the server 408 can transmit the replacement content to the media deviceand/or to other media devices. In one embodiment, the media content canalso be content that is dynamic in nature. Dynamic content can becontent that is temporary in nature and/or can be scheduled content suchas sporting events television shows, radio programs, scheduled movies,and the like.

In step 614, the play stream of media content can then be transmitted tothe communication device for presentation.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope andspirit of the claims described below. For example, the playlist can begenerated based on criteria which can be weighted by the user. Forinstance, a user may heavily weigh the time period of music but lightlyweigh the artist so that a playlist is generated with numerous artistsbut within a specified time period.

As another example, the weighting function for the particular criteria,including the time period, can be determined automatically by one ormore of the media device, the back end server or some other component.For instance, user behavior can be monitored and correlated to theparticular criteria used for generating the play list, such as timeperiod, genre and artist. A user who switches radio stations or playssongs which are from a particular time period can have that criteriamore heavily weighted than a user who does not exhibit such behavior.

In one embodiment, the use of metadata pointers for locating the othermedia content can be selective. For instance, the metadata pointers canprovide the location of several media content sources. A determinationof which of the sources, and thus which of the metadata pointers, to beutilized can be made, such as by the server, the STB, the user and/oraccording to a user profile. The determination can be based on a numberof factors such as reliability of the source, cost and so forth.

Other suitable modifications can be applied to the present disclosurewithout departing from the scope of the claims below. Accordingly, thereader is directed to the claims section for a fuller understanding ofthe breadth and scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed above. In some embodiments, the machine operatesas a standalone device. In some embodiments, the machine may beconnected (e.g., using a network) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient user machine in server-client user network environment, or as apeer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge, or anymachine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a device of the present disclosure includes broadly anyelectronic device that provides voice, video or data communication.Further, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shallalso be taken to include any collection of machines that individually orjointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor 702 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicate with each othervia a bus 708. The computer system 700 may further include a videodisplay unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, asolid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system700 may include an input device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor controldevice 714 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generationdevice 718 (e.g., a speaker or remote control) and a network interfacedevice 720.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a machine-readable medium 722 onwhich is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 724)embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions describedherein, including those methods illustrated above. The instructions 724may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the mainmemory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within the processor 702during execution thereof by the computer system 700. The main memory 704and the processor 702 also may constitute machine-readable media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

The present disclosure contemplates a machine readable medium containinginstructions 724, or that which receives and executes instructions 724from a propagated signal so that a device connected to a networkenvironment 726 can send or receive voice, video or data, and tocommunicate over the network 726 using the instructions 724. Theinstructions 724 may further be transmitted or received over a network726 via the network interface device 720.

While the machine-readable medium 722 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” should betaken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralizedor distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) thatstore the one or more sets of instructions. The term “machine-readablemedium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by themachine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present disclosure.

The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly be taken toinclude, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as a memorycard or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile)memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile)memories; magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk or tape;and/or a digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives is considered a distributionmedium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of amachine-readable medium or a distribution medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, and HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodicallysuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, the operationscomprising: displaying a selectable second media content icon for secondmedia content in a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical userinterface comprises a plurality of selectable first media content iconsfor first media content on a timeline, and wherein the graphical userinterface illustrates a non-temporal relationship of the second mediacontent with the first media content; and generating a playlist fromselected media content based on the non-temporal relationship betweenthe first media content and the second media content, wherein theselected media content is identified responsive to an interaction withthe graphical user interface to identify the selected media content fromthe first and second media content icons.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein the graphical user interface presents a mapping between thesecond media content icon and a given one of the first media contenticons illustrating the non-temporal relationship.
 3. The device of claim1, wherein the graphical user interface illustrates a temporal proximityof the second media content and the first media content.
 4. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving playlistcontent corresponding to the playlist from a media content source. 5.The device of claim 4, wherein source location information regarding themedia content source is determined using metadata pointers associatedwith the first media content and the second media content.
 6. The deviceof claim 5, wherein the source location information is furtherdetermined according to a profile associated with the device.
 7. Thedevice of claim 5, wherein the metadata pointers are embedded in thefirst and second media content.
 8. The device of claim 5, wherein thesource location information is further determined according to areliability of a source location, a cost of accessing the sourcelocation, or a combination thereof.
 9. The device of claim 1, whereinthe operations further comprise transmitting the playlist to anotherdevice.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the non-temporal relationshipis based on user supplied weighting criteria.
 11. A method comprising: aprocessor; and displaying, by a processing system including a processor,a selectable second media content icon for second media content in agraphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface comprisesa plurality of selectable first media content icons for first mediacontent, and wherein the graphical user interface illustrates anon-temporal relationship of the second media content with the firstmedia content; and generating, by the processing system, a playlist fromselected media content based on the non-temporal relationship betweenthe first media content and the second media content, wherein theselected media content is identified responsive to an interaction withthe graphical user interface to identify the selected media content fromthe first and second media content icons.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the first media content icons are displayed on a timeline in thegraphical user interface.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein thegraphical user interface illustrates a temporal proximity of the secondmedia content and the first media content.
 14. The method of claim 11,further comprising retrieving, by the processing system, playlistcontent corresponding to the playlist from a media content source. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein source location information regardingthe media content source is determined using metadata pointersassociated with the first media content and the second media content.16. A machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that,when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitateperformance of operations comprising: displaying a selectable secondmedia content icon for second media content in a graphical userinterface, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a plurality ofselectable first media content icons for first media content; andgenerating a playlist from selected media content based on anon-temporal relationship between the first media content and the secondmedia content, wherein the selected media content is identifiedresponsive to an interaction with the graphical user interface toidentify the selected media content from the first and second mediacontent icons.
 17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein thegraphical user interface illustrates the non-temporal relationship ofthe second media content with the first media content.
 18. Themachine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the graphical userinterface illustrates a temporal proximity of the second media contentand the first media content.
 19. The machine-readable medium of claim16, further comprising retrieving, by the processing system, playlistcontent corresponding to the playlist from a media content source. 20.The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein source locationinformation regarding the media content source is determined usingmetadata pointers associated with the first media content and the secondmedia content.